1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to connectors and more particularly to a modular connector that can be customized as to length by cutting an insulator body thereof to the desired length and then assembling the insulator with other parts to complete the connector.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, prior art connectors have been assembled by molding connectors into a body of insulating material which forms a structural member to support the contacts and hold them rigidly within the insulating body. Other connectors may have the connectors press fitted into the insulating material body or press fitted into a printed circuit board with the insulating material body fitted over the contacts and the body secured to the printed circuit board with screws or rivets. Still other connectors may utilize a combination of the above features. Regardless of how the connector is structured or assembled, the length of the body of the connector and the number of contacts in the body is a fixed number for each specific application. If an equipment manufacturer utilizes a large number of connectors of various lengths (a different number of contacts), then a large variety of connectors must be stocked.
Connectors representative of the prior art are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,671,917, 4,035,047 and 4,094,573.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,671,917, contact terminals are inserted into a substrate by press fitting the contact terminals into the substrate and then attaching an insulating housing over the contact terminals. The housing comprises an outer shell open at the bottom to permit it to be placed over and enclose the contact terminals. This connector depends upon the printed circuit board to serve as one enclosing surface for the connector.
Another prior art connector is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,035,047. In this patent the connector is not a card edge connector, but is used with another connector. The contact terminals are press fitted into the mounting substrate and then the housing is pressed over the terminals and engage the terminals in a press fit relationship.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,573, the terminal contacts are press fitted into the substrate, but the housing is held in place by the contact terminals. Each terminal has a tongue that is depressed while the housing is being put into place and then springs into a recess in the housing and engages a shoulder on the housing, holding it in place against the substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,393, each contact has a press fit collar formed on the contact and the connector insulator body serves as the seating tool. The contacts are held in place by the insulator and are simultaneously press fitted into the substrate by continuously applying pressure to the top of the insulator until each contact is in place.
In each of the above references, the housing is of a fixed length and cannot be modified to hold a lesser number of contact terminals. This inability to modify the number of contact terminals requires the circuit board manufacturer to stock a large number of connectors to ensure that a connector of the correct length and number of contact terminals is on hand and available when needed. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,393, the contacts are pressed into place by the insulator but it is required that the contact have a press fit collar thereon. Also the insulator is not adaptable as to size.